Happy Endings - August 4
Hi there. You might be
wondering "Why Thursday?" Okay, so maybe it didn't enter
your mind, but still, "Why Thursday?" Because sometimes
you just have to change. It's the only constant, after
all. That, and historically, syndication figures come
back on Thursday, so we can include them here. That
said, let's play the Numbers Game. Today's subject:
happy endings.
"Joe" Didn't Blow
That Much
Last week saw the end of
"Average Joe: The Joes Strike Back," as Anna Chudoba
chose the remade Joe Nathan Griffin over the jock Rocky
Fain. The Joe in all of us is screaming "Yes! Finally!"
But you have to wonder, if a Joe gets with a model, and
no one's around to see it, does it really count? Well,
comparing to what we saw in the beginning, and what we
saw on that particular night, we won't have to answer
that question.
The "Joe" finale, which
aired last Wednesday, took third place opposite
competing "Brat Camp" and Fox firestarter "So You Think
You Can Dance" Consider that the latter got a 4.8/9 in
its first 60 minutes (because "The Inside" is arguably
on the outs). Then consider "Joe's" 3.2/6. Not a bad
front for a summer show, especially one going up against
two summer hits, one being a rerun. The good news, it
was kicked up a notch, outpointing its companion Tuesday
show, "I Want to Be A Hilton" (more on that later). The
bad news, it was a bit off the premiere's 4.4/7.
Will we see a fifth
season of "Average Joe"? Not likely if the end of the
episode is any indication, but still... a W for the
Average Joe was long coming.
An Up and Down Case
David Madden, we know
Ken Jennings (or at least Gordon does). We've gone
through a run through with the guy. And you, sir, are no
Ken Jennings.
From Joes, we go to
Jeopardy!, as we wrap season 21 the way we began it:
with a seemingly impossible championship that is hard to
take down. But David Madden is finding it very hard to
generate the same impact as his predecessor.
The final five games in
the season
was up
3% from the prior week to a 6.6, but down a whopping 31%
from last year at this time when Jennings was in the
midst of his streak (if I recall correctly, about 20 or
so games in).
Companion show
"Wheel
of Fortune", long since the top show in syndication
overall and long in reruns since May, fell 1% from the
week before to a 7.6, down 11% from last year. Competing
quizzer "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" was unchanged at
a 3.1, but down 18% year-to-year.
All
three series begin anew in September.
Run
Like "Hell"
"Hell's Kitchen" closed on a high note Monday. After
nine grueling weeks in Gordon Ramsay's world, the finale
saw the winner presented a lucrative offer (That's all
we're saying until the recap).
The two-hour finale was
second overall with a 5.7/9 and 7.77 million viewers,
but was first in the 18-49s with 3.7/11, a handy victory
over CBS' lineup, which, thanks to the
soon-to-depart-for-basic-cable "Rock Star INXS" was
down.
Will we see another
visit into the kitchen that Fox built? You never can
tell with that bunch.
Let's Dance!
It seems like when
you're a hit Fox show, your purpose in life is to either
build an audience for a show with a gleam of promise or
sign a death warrant for a show with about 15 people
watching a week. Case in point: "So You Think You Can
Dance".
The show, which for the
last two weeks has been running a bit longer than its
planned hour (to compensate for the underperforming "The
Inside"), has done well for itself. While hardly
the hit that "Dancing with the Stars" was, it still
managed to hold it own.
Last week, the show
scored a 4.8/9 with its first hour. The last 30 minutes
built off of that success, with a 5.5/9. Considering
that the premiere scored the same as that last 30
minutes, it looks like Fox is getting all the viewers
they're going to get for this one. The good news: it's
all they need.
Last night, another
90-minute installment scored similarly, BUT did win the
time slot in A18-49.
In other numbers...
· "The Cut"
is one cut shy of outright cancellation, as the show
moves to Friday this week. And with good reason. Last
week's show placed fourth aside from "Average Joe". Add
this to failing out of the gate to attract new viewers
and you have a move to the dungeon of broadcast
television.
· One show does not, a
hit or miss make. That said, "The Law Firm" still has
time to improve upon its premiere, a distant second with
3.7/7 with 5.08 million viewers and a 1.9/6 among adults
18-49. But judging from what I've seen (and the fact
that it's on up against "CSI"), don't count on it.
· Another premiere
stalled at the gate: "Meet Mister Mom," a second-place
3.8/7 in the overnights, a third-place 4.55 million
viewers, and a 1.6/5 among adults 18-49, a tie for
third.
That's all the numbers
we can come up for this week. As always, if you have a
question about ratings, you can hit up the e-mail
address. We're always here. Until next Thursday
(remember that, THURSDAY), remember, the numbers never
lie...
Chico Alexander is
all of a sudden a big fan of Thursdays. E-mail him at chico@gameshownewsnet.com. |